TMJ Signs & Symptoms

The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ or "jaw joint") is a very complex and sensitive component to the head and neck region of the body. These are the small joints in front of each ear that attach the lower jaw to the skull. The area of the face where the TMJ is located is an intricate network of bones, including the teeth, muscles, and nerves.

Because of this sensitivity, any misalignment or irregularity in the function of the TMJ can cause pain and discomfort. This discomfort is called Myofascial Pain Dysfunction (MPD), and can commonly be referred to as TMJ or TMD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder).

In most cases, TMJ disorders stem from a malocclusion, (which means having a “bad bite”) or from a history of accidents and trauma.

Malocclusion means that your upper and lower teeth do not close together in the correct way—they are misaligned. This includes underbites and overbites. When the teeth are misaligned, they cannot provide the support the muscles in the face need for chewing and swallowing. These muscles are then forced into a strained position, resulting in pain throughout the face, head, arms, shoulders, and back.

Some common signs and symptoms are:

• Headaches (tension and/or migraines)
• Neck,shoulder and back pain
• Pain or discomfort in or around the jaw joints
• Facial pain
• Congestion, stuffiness or ringing of the ears
• Numbness in fingers and arms
• Worn dentition (shortened teeth) and/or dental restorations
• Clenching or grinding
• Chewing difficulties
• Clicking or popping sounds in the jaw joint 
• Limited movement and/or locking jaw
• Unexplained loose teeth
• Varying degrees of intermittent tooth pain or sensitivity
• Snoring
• Nasal congestion or restricted airway (ie difficulty breathing through your nose)

TMJ pain is a chronic and often debilitating illness, which affects millions of people. The underlying conditions that cause the above mentioned signs and symptoms are structural, biochemical, and/or emotional. Any one of these conditions can stimulate hyper activation of the head, neck and jaw and the related muscles, and can lead to tension, pain and spasm.

By using the art and science of neuromuscular dentistry, we can quantitatively determine the relaxed position of the muscles that control the head, neck and jaw, and place them into physiological resting position.

Through the sophisticated computerized instrumentation often used in medical specialties, we can measure muscle dysfunction and output, to derive a diagnosis and individualized treatment plan that most often will lead to improvement and /or elimination of pain. With computerized data such as electromyography (EMG), sonography (ESG), and jaw tracking, we can objectively evaluate the electrical activity in the muscles, sounds or noises in the jaw joint, and proper functioning motion of the jaw respectively.

Most people suffer TMJ disorders to some extent. Although women report more pain from TMJ disorder then men, it causes more damage to the teeth, gums, bones and joints in men.

Children are especially sensitive to TMJ disorders and usually show early signs with ear infections; lip, cheek, or finger biting; sucking or chewing; headaches; snoring; grinding of their teeth at night.
A non surgical treatment, neuromuscular dentistry can dramatically reduce or eliminate these symptoms while beautifully restoring your smile.